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<title>The Virus from Outside by The_Exile</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25264384">The Virus from Outside</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Exile/pseuds/The_Exile'>The_Exile</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Phantasy Star short fics for FFFC [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Phantasy Star IV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Backstory, Exposition, Foreshadowing, Gen, Triple Drabble</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:26:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>297</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25264384</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Exile/pseuds/The_Exile</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Wren suspects that Le Roof is withholding information about a secondary, outside threat to Algol.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Phantasy Star short fics for FFFC [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1830340</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Froday Flash Fiction Little &amp; Monthly Specials 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Virus from Outside</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>for FFFC 100th Special Challenge. table D. prompt 16 'observatory'.</p><p>based on my 'Broken Circle' fic series continuity</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Making up some excuse about staying behind to maintain the spaceship, Wren waited until the others were out of the room before speaking to Le Roof again.</p><p>"The pattern projected into this room - it is our galaxy, yes?" </p><p>"Indeed - the Perseus Cluster."</p><p>"It is not just a depiction, either. It is being updated continuously. Are you observing the environment around Algol for some reason?"</p><p>"That has always been the purpose of a planet with a wandering orbit."</p><p>"Are you watching for an outside threat, or to keep the outside safe from Algol and Dark Force? Why do you not feed back information about the outside?"</p><p>"I cannot safely distribute the information. It is... think of it as virally infected," replied the Guardian of Rykros, "I can quarantine it, study the patterns of the infection, delete the information and avoid it in future. I cannot make the information safe. I also cannot stop tracking it, in case it comes too close to Algol. It appears to want to spread."</p><p>"This 'virus' is a malicious sentience?" he asked, "Is it something to do with Dark Force?"</p><p>"It is... related but different. To look too closely risks corruption."</p><p>"I am Algol's oldest continuously alive Protector. We androids may end up being the ideal ones to pass such information on. Unless this is a literal computer virus."</p><p>"Like Dark Force, it infects all information - biological DNA, machine code, even certain fundamental laws of reality. Nobody is safe."</p><p>"Then how do you plan to deal with it?"</p><p>"In the same way as Dark Force," replied Le Roof, "By arming Algol's Protectors as best I can, shielding their minds from corruption and keeping the memories of Algol's true legacy alive. That means you too. Please keep my dilemma a secret from the others."</p>
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